Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Avian Flu? Think Swine Flu Fiasco!


The Avian Flu. Anything like the Swine Flu??

What the dickens is going on with the Avian flu, the media, and the politicians?

I have had any number of people approach me, in the past few days, and exclaim, “You know, if the Press keeps on, they’re gonna talk people into getting the Avian Flu!”

Well, I spent over half my life in the media and I know a little about shaping and guiding public opinion. Seems to be, all the earmarks of a full out propaganda campaign are at work here.

Now, lets see, there have been, worldwide, only 60 cases of Avian flu… right? And all the cases were in Asia… right? How many thousands of chickens have been slaughtered? A lot.

In the past few days the airwaves in America have been filled, to overflowing, with talking heads telling us that the sky is falling! The end of the world is nigh! The Bird flu is coming! It’s coming and it’s going to kill you, and your family, and wipe out civilization, as we know it, on this planet!

That sound about right?

I mean did I catch the tenor of the panic-stricken voices shouting Pandemic! Pandemic!

Now, take a deep breath, and sit back, and allow me to remind you another such campaign to invoke panic in the American populace.

Ever hear of the Swine Flu scare in 1976? Oh yeah, it was a mess. The National Immunization Program failed. A lot of people WERE immunized, but the epidemic never appeared! Never! To make matters worse, hundreds of Americans were killed, or injured, as a result of the inoculation given them by the government. Some 40 million Americans were inoculated for the Swine flu. The Swine flue epidemic never appeared. I repeat: It never appeared!

Millions of dollars spent, people frightened, hundreds killed by the vaccine, and no epidemic.

It has been nearly 30 years since that fiasco. Basically one generation has expired. But those of us still on the “right side of the grass” remember that disaster and are not eager to see it again.

However, it sure appears that between the docs, the press, and the politicians that is exactly where we are headed.

So, next time you hear “Avian Flu”… think Swine Flu. Remember, many more people were killed, in the US, from the inoculation to prevent the Swine flu than were killed by the flu itself. Let’s not do that again!

“Longstreet”

1 comment:

. said...

It's refreshing (and somewhat relieving) to read other people who "get it".